Malayalam has a reputation for being a difficult language to learn, particularly because of its long words and at times tricky pronunciation, such as the zh in words like pazham and mazha.
Credit: Ranjan Prabhat How Difficult Is Malayalam? It’s constantly evolving and constantly in use. It’s the language of Mollywood movies, a thriving podcast scene, and catchy pop songs.Īnd, of course, it’s a living language: one that people utilize on a daily basis to catch up with family, make friends, go shopping, talk politics, scribble shopping lists and reminders, flirt, debate, advise, explain, and more. However, spoken Malayalam also boasts cultural richness. There’s a tendency to respect written Malayalam more than its spoken counterpart. The formal, written language can also be significantly different from the Malayalam used in everyday speech. Several different dialects exist, reflecting regional, class, and caste differences. It’s not entirely typical for a Dravidian language, however: you only conjugate verbs for tense, not person, number, or gender. Meanwhile, the striking Kathakali theatrical dances represent Classical literature in a tradition that dates back centuries.Īs a Dravidian language, Malayalam shares many features with other classical languages such as Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu, and has slightly less in common with languages such as Hindi and Urdu. Early Malayalam literature is famed for the Pattu poetry movement, as well as erotic Manipravala poems that mix Sanskrit with Malayalam/Tamil. It’s officially considered a Classical language of India, thanks to its long history of literary works. Over 35 million people speak this language.Īthirappilly Falls, Pariyaram, Kerala. You’ll also overhear Malayalam in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, alongside Tamil and Kannada, as well as in diaspora communities across India and the globe. In fact, in Malayalam, Lakshadweep means “hundred thousand islands” – although Britannica puts the figure at around three dozen. Plus, it has official status in the Mahé municipality of Puducherry and the Lakshadweep island group. You’ll hear it spoken across the entirety of the state of Kerala, from the coastal plains with their sandy beaches and rice paddies through to rugged mountain landscapes with deep gorges, coffee and tea plantations, and wild forests. Its name literally translates to “mountain region,” although its reach extends far beyond Kerala’s eastern highlands. Music, News, and Other Resources for Learning MalayalamĪ Quick Introduction to the Malayalam Language.Malayalam Textbooks and Reference Books.Malayalam Vocabulary Builders and Word Games.Malayalam Language Courses: Online, App-Based & Audio.
Online Malayalam Classes and Language Exchanges.A Quick Introduction to the Malayalam Language.